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The Montréal Wood Convention (MWC) 2026 returns this week to the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montréal, bringing together key players from across the Canadian and global wood industry.
Following back-to-back sold-out editions, organizers say this year’s April 14-16 event is again expected to draw more than 1,000 participants.
With more than 110 companies exhibiting, the convention will showcase a broad cross-section of the wood products sector, from established manufacturers and suppliers to emerging market drivers influencing the industry’s future.
A featured event in this year’s program will be the luncheon keynote with astronaut and former International Space Station commander Chris Hadfield, who will speak on leadership, resilience and navigating uncertainty. The program will also include targeted sessions focused on market trends, trade developments and the operational realities shaping today’s wood industry.
“The economic pressures and the ever shifting of global trade conditions seem to be the new normal,” said Sven Gustavsson, event director of the Montréal Wood Convention. “This year conferences and networking sessions are set to shape meaningful discussions about the industry challenges, economic scope and also work towards deeper collaborations opportunities.”
Christian Gilbert, chairman of the organizing committee and director of sales at J.D. Irving, said the event continues to play an important role in building stronger industry relationships.
“For having been to numerous events like the MWC around the world, I know the collaboration between actors of the wood industry comes down to the success of creating connections,” Gilbert said. “The MWC is set to build these relationships to become more resilient as an industry.”
Organizers also pointed to the forestry sector’s continued economic importance in Canada. The industry contributes more than $20 billion to GDP, represents 8.4% of Canada’s manufacturing sector and supported nearly 194,000 direct jobs in 2024. Canada also remained the world’s largest lumber exporter in 2024, with forest product exports topping $35 billion in 2025.
The convention traces its roots to the Canadian Lumbermen’s Association Convention, first held in 1908, and was relaunched in 2013 through the collaboration of four Eastern Canadian associations: the Maritime Lumber Bureau, Ontario Forest Industry Association, Québec Forest Industry Council and Québec Wood Export Bureau.
